Information processing system, method and storage medium

ABSTRACT

A state of a user operation performed on a mobile terminal is registered in a Web server that can be accessed from the mobile terminal and a multifunction peripheral (MFP) in association with information about the user, and the state of the user operation is handed over to the MFP based on the registered information by the user simply logging into the MFP.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/840,121, filed Apr. 3, 2020, which claims the benefit of JapanesePatent Application No. 2019-074415, filed Apr. 9, 2019, both of whichare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a linkage technique in a plurality ofinformation processing apparatuses.

Description of the Related Art

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of imageforming apparatuses (e.g., multifunction peripherals (MFPs)) installedin an office, having the function of cooperating with mobile terminals.For example, in a known technique, a mobile terminal transmits printdata to an MFP and the MFP performs printing processing, and the mobileterminal acquires image data read by a scanner of the MFP. JapanesePatent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-108338 discusses a technique inwhich, in a case where an MFP performs a mail transmission process, anMFP receives transmission setting information indicating transmissionsettings from a mobile terminal, reflects the received transmissionsetting information, and executes mail transmission processing. Asdescribed above, a setting operation can be handed over between the MFPand the mobile terminal.

The conventional technique is, however, inconvenient for the userbecause the setting operation can be handed over between the mobileterminal and the MFP only at a limited timing. For example, the usercannot hand over the setting to the MFP unless a predetermined settinghas been executed with the mobile terminal. Thus, in a case where theuser starts executing a setting with a mobile terminal while the MFP isbeing used by another user, the user cannot immediately start executingan operation on the MFP when the MFP becomes available. In such a case,the user has to complete the setting with the mobile terminal, or toexecute a setting with the MFP from the beginning after cancelling thesetting executed with the mobile terminal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is directed to a technique in which a settingoperation is handed over at a timing desired by the user. According toan aspect of the present disclosure, a Web server configured to providemultiple operation screens involving screen transition and configured tobe accessed from an information processing apparatus and an imageforming apparatus, includes a first memory, and a first processor incommunication with the first memory. The first processor performsregistering an identifier of an operation screen operated by a user ofthe information processing apparatus via the information processingapparatus and an operation status of the operation in association withidentification information about the user, and providing an operationscreen to the image forming apparatus. In the providing, to the imageforming apparatus, an operation screen in which the operation status isreflected is provided based on first information corresponding to theidentifier of the operation screen and the operation status.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an informationprocessing system according to a first exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of amultifunction peripheral (MFP) according to the first exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of amobile terminal according to the first exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of amanagement server and an application server according to the firstexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of theMFP according to the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of theapplication server according to the first exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of themanagement server according to the first exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating a series of processes which isexecuted by the information processing system according to the firstexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 , which includes FIGS. 9A and 9B, is a flowchart illustratingprocessing which is executed by the application server according to thefirst exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 10A to 10D are each a flowchart illustrating processing which isexecuted by the management server according to the first exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating processing which is executed by theMFP according to the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a sequence management table accordingto the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a handover management table accordingto the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 14A to 14G illustrate examples of a user interface (UI) of anoperation screen of a web application according to the first exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating processing which is executed by theMFP according to a second exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment embodying the present disclosurewill be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments described hereinafter are not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure described in the appended claims, andnot all of the combinations of features described in the exemplaryembodiments are required for the present disclosure. Each of theembodiments of the present invention described below can be implementedsolely or as a combination of a plurality of the embodiments or featuresthereof where necessary or where the combination of elements or featuresfrom individual embodiments in a single embodiment is beneficial.

A first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be describedbelow. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a systemconfiguration of an information processing system according to thepresent exemplary embodiment. The information processing system includesa multifunction peripheral (MFP) 101 that is connected via a local areanetwork (LAN) 110, a mobile terminal 102, a management server 103, andan application server 104 which are connected via a wide area network(WAN) 120. The apparatus connected via the LAN 110 and the apparatusesconnected via the WAN 120 can communicate with each other via therespective networks. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a typical networkconfiguration, and the respective apparatuses can be connected to anyone of the LAN 110 and the WAN 120.

The MFP 101 is an image forming apparatus having a scanner and aprinter. In the present exemplary embodiment, an MFP is taken as anexample of the image forming apparatus. However, the image formingapparatus is not limited to the MFP, and may be an apparatus having asingle function. The MFP 101 includes a web browser as a softwareapplication. While only a single MFP is illustrated in FIG. 1 , aplurality of MFPs may be included in the system. The mobile terminal 102is a portable information processing apparatus. The mobile terminal 102includes a web browser as a software application. In the presentexemplary embodiment, a description will be provided on the assumptionthat the mobile terminal 102 is a terminal apparatus, such as asmartphone and a tablet terminal. However, the mobile terminal 102 isnot limited thereto. The mobile terminal 102 can be any type ofinformation processing apparatus that includes a web browser. Themanagement server 103 is a server for managing information used forhanding over the operation state of a web application provided by theapplication server 104 (described below) to the MFP 101 from the mobileterminal 102. The application server 104 is a Web server which providesthe web application. The web application to be provided can be accessedfrom the MFP 101 and the mobile terminal 102. The number of applicationservers does not always have to be one, and more than one servers mayexist depending on the number of web applications to be used.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of theMFP 101. A control unit 210 including a central processing unit (CPU)211 controls an entire operation of the MFP 101. The CPU 211 reads acontrol program stored in a read only memory (ROM) 212 or a hard diskdrive (HDD) 214 and executes various types of control processing, suchas reading control and transmission control. A random access memory(RAM) 213 is used as a temporary storage area, such as a main memory ora work area of the CPU 211. The HDD 214 stores image data and variousprograms.

An operation unit interface (I/F) 215 connects an operation unit 219 tothe control unit 210. The operation unit 219 includes a liquid crystaldisplay unit having a touch-panel function and a keyboard. A printer I/F216 connects a printer 220 to the control unit 210. Image data to beprinted by the printer 220 is transferred from the control unit 210 tothe printer 220 via the printer I/F 216, and is printed on a recordingmedium by the printer 220. A scanner I/F 217 connects a scanner 221 tothe control unit 210. The scanner 221 reads an image on a document,generates image data, and inputs the image data to the control unit 210via the scanner I/F 217. A network I/F 218 connects the control unit 210(MFP 101) to the LAN 110. The network I/F 218 transmits and receivesvarious types of information to/from another apparatus connected to theLAN 110 or the WAN 120.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of themobile terminal 102. A control unit 310 including a CPU 311 controls anentire operation of the mobile terminal 102. The CPU 311 reads a controlprogram stored in a ROM 312 or a flash memory 314 and executes varioustypes of control processing. A RAM 313 is used as a temporary storagearea, such as a main memory and a work area of the CPU 311. The flashmemory 314 stores various programs and data. An operation unit I/F 315connects an operation unit 317 to the control unit 310. The operationunit 317 includes a liquid crystal display unit having a touch-panelfunction. A network I/F 316 connects the control unit 310 to the WAN 120or the LAN 110. The network I/F 316 is capable of executing wirelesscommunication, and transmits and receives various types of informationto/from another apparatus connected to the LAN 110 or the WAN 120through wireless communication.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of themanagement server 103 and the application server 104. A control unit 410that includes a CPU 411 controls an entire operation of the apparatus.The CPU 411 reads a control program stored in a ROM 412 or a HDD 414 andexecutes various types of control processing. A RAM 413 is used as atemporary storage area, such as a main memory or a work area of the CPU411. The HDD 414 stores various programs and data.

A display unit I/F 415 connects a display unit 418 to the control unit410. A keyboard I/F 416 connects a keyboard 419 to the control unit 410.The CPU 411 recognizes a user instruction provided via the keyboard 419and causes a screen displayed on the display unit 418 to transitionbased on the recognized instruction. A network I/F 417 connects thecontrol unit 410 to the WAN 120 or the LAN 110. The network I/F 417transmits and receives various types of information to/from anotherapparatus connected to the LAN 110 or the WAN 120.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of theMFP 101 of the present exemplary embodiment. The CPU 211 reads a programstored in the ROM 212 or the HDD 214 of the MFP 101 to the RAM 213, andexecutes the program to realize each of the software function blocksillustrated in FIG. 5 .

A log-in management unit 501 manages user authentication that isexecuted when the user logs into the MFP 101. A menu display unit 502displays a menu screen on the operation unit 219. The menu display unit502 displays a button (i.e., application button) for calling anapplication on the menu screen. The application button is used forcalling various functions, such as an application and a web applicationinstalled in the MFP 101.

A web browser 503 accesses a Web server to acquire web content. Inaddition, the MFP 101 may have other functions that are not illustratedin FIG. 5 .

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of theapplication server 104 according to the present exemplary embodiment.Each of the software function blocks illustrated in FIG. 6 is realizedby the CPU 411 reading a program stored in the ROM 412 or the HDD 414 ofthe application server 104 to the RAM 413 and executing the program. Aweb application 601 is a program operating on the application server104. The web application 601 provides an operation screen of the webapplication 601 to the MFP 101 and/or the mobile terminal 102, and theMFP 101 and the mobile terminal 102 display the operation screen on theweb browser. The MFP 101 and the mobile terminal 102 display theoperation screen of the web application 601 by accessing the applicationserver 104, receive a user operation through the operation screen, andreturn the received operation information to the application server 104.If the web application 601 serves as a web application that instructsthe MFP 101 to execute scanning, the user accesses the applicationserver 104 via the web browser and executes setting in a scan settingoperation screen provided by the web application 601. In the presentexemplary embodiment, the user accesses the application server 104 for aplurality of times to execute setting with a plurality of operationscreens. This allows the user to provide a scan execution instructionwith a scan execution operation screen provided by the web application601.

A sequence management table 602 is used for managing a state (e.g.,operation status) of a series of processes (hereinafter, referred to as“sequence”) in which the web application 601 is operated by the user viathe web browser. The sequence refers to a procedure from a start to anend of the processing set for each web application, involving screentransition. For example, a procedure from execution of scan setting toprovision of an execution instruction is regarded as a sequence, in acase of a scanning application. In addition, the application server 104may have other functions that are not illustrated in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the sequence managementtable 602 according to the present exemplary embodiment. The sequencemanagement table 602 includes four columns 1201 to 1204.

A SequenceID column 1201 includes a value for defining identificationinformation (hereinafter, referred to as “sequence ID”) for uniquelyidentifying sequence information. The sequence information includes userinformation and information indicating an operation state of thesequence associated with the user. The SequenceID column 1201 and theoperation state of the sequence are associated with each other. Thevalue included in the SequenceID column 1201 also serves as anidentifier that uniquely specifies a row of the sequence managementtable 602. Hereinafter, the value of the SequenceID column 1201 is usedfor specifying a row of the sequence management table 602. For example,a row having “s001” as a value of the SequenceID column 1201 isdescribed as “row s001”.

A SequenceData column 1202 indicates an operation state at a time pointindicated by the SequenceID column 1201 in the sequence. In theSequenceData column 1202, information necessary for specifying and/orrecovering the operation state of the sequence (hereinafter, referred toas “sequence operation state data”) is saved. Examples of the necessaryinformation include an identifier for an operation screen and anoperation status including a setting value set with the operationscreen.

A UserID column 1203 includes an identifier of the user who operates theweb application 601 in the sequence (hereinafter, referred to as “userID”). In the present exemplary embodiment, a description will beprovided below based on the assumption that the web application 601 andthe MFP 101 use the same external authentication server (notillustrated). However, the external authentication server does notalways have to be used. Any authentication method can be used as long asit is possible to recognize that the user ID of the user informationused for executing authentication in the web application 601 and theuser ID of the user information used for executing authentication in theMFP 101 are identical and that the authenticated user for the webapplication 601 and the authenticated user for the MFP 101 are identicalto each other.

A HandoverID column 1204 includes an identifier for uniquely specifyinga row of the below-described handover management table 702 (hereinafter,referred to as “handover ID”). The sequence management table 602 and thehandover management table 702 are associated with each other by theHandover ID column 1204.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of themanagement server 103 according to the present exemplary embodiment. TheCPU 411 reads a program stored in the ROM 412 or the HDD 414 of themanagement server 103 to the RAM 413, and executes the program torealize each of the software function blocks. A handover management unit701 manages the information for handing over the sequence informationfor the web application 601 to the MFP 101 from the mobile terminal 102(hereinafter, referred to as “handover information”). A handovermanagement table 702 is a table for recording the handover information.The handover management unit 701 and the handover management table 702do not necessarily have to be arranged on the management server 103, butmay be arranged on the application server 104. In addition, themanagement server 103 may have other functions that are not illustratedin FIG. 7 .

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the handover managementtable 702 according to the present exemplary embodiment. The handovermanagement table 702 includes five columns 1301 to 1305.

A HandoverID column 1301 includes values defining an identifier foruniquely identifying handover information, and corresponds to theHandoverID column 1204 of the sequence management table 602. The valuesincluded in the HandoverID column 1301 also serve as an identifier foruniquely specifying a row of the handover management table 702. In thebelow-described exemplary embodiment, a value of the HandoverID column1301 is used for specifying a row thereof. For example, a row having“h001” as a value of the Handover ID column 1301 is described as “rowh001”.

A URL column 1302 includes a uniform resource locator (URL) which is tobe accessed from the web browser 503 of the MFP 101 when the sequenceinformation about the web application 601 is handed over to the MFP 101(hereinafter, referred to as “handover URL”). The information includedin the URL column 1302 is a URL for the web application 601, and the URLis different for each web application. In the present exemplaryembodiment, a URL for the web application is used in which a value inthe sequence ID column 1201 is attached, as a query string, to the URLof the web application, as an example of the handover URL. The value inthe sequence ID column 1201 indicates the operation state of thesequence, and thus, the operation state of the sequence of the targetweb application can be specified and recovered with the handover URL.

A Non-MFP-Accessed column 1303 includes information indicating the lastdate and time when the web application 601 of the application server 104is accessed from a web browser different from the web browser 503 of theMFP 101 in the corresponding sequence. An MFP-Accessed column 1304includes information indicating the last date and time when the webapplication 601 is accessed from the web browser 503 of the MFP 101 inthe corresponding sequence. The absence of a value in a field in anMFP-Accessed column 1304 indicates that the web application 601 has notbeen accessed from the web browser 503 of the MFP 101 in thecorresponding sequence.

A userID column 1305 includes a user ID, which is used for specifyingthe handover information associated with the logged-in user.

An overview of the operation setting handover processing according tothe present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS. 14A to 14G before the sequence diagram in FIG. 8 is described. Inthe present exemplary embodiment, a description will be provided usingan example in which the mobile terminal 102 and the MFP 101 can operatea web application capable of transmitting scanned data to a destinationspecified by a user operation, and the user executes the settings of theweb application with a screen of the mobile terminal 102 or the MFP 101.FIGS. 14A to 14D are diagrams illustrating setting screen transition inthe mobile terminal 102. When the user inputs user information on ascreen of FIG. 14A and presses a NEXT button 1401, the screen is causedto transition to a setting screen 1 in FIG. 14B. When a NEXT button 1402is pressed after the user executes the settings on the setting screen 1,the screen is caused to transition to a setting screen 2 in FIG. 14C.Similarly, the screen is caused to transition to a setting screen 3 inFIG. 14D when a NEXT button 1403 is pressed, and a scan executioninstruction is transmitted to the MFP 101 when an EXECUTE button 1404 ispressed. FIGS. 14E to 14G are diagrams illustrating the setting screentransition in the MFP 101. The setting screens are similar to thoseillustrated in FIGS. 14B to 14D, and setting screen transition isperformed in a similar manner. For example, the user executes thesettings with the setting screen 1, illustrated in FIG. 14B, on themobile terminal 102, and presses the NEXT button 1402 to cause thescreen to transition to the setting screen 2 illustrated in FIG. 14C.When the user logs in to the MFP 101 with the setting screen 2 beingdisplayed, the user can continuously execute the settings with thesetting screen 2 of FIG. 14F displayed on the MFP 101. Similarly, theuser can continue to execute the settings on the MFP 101 from thesetting screen displayed on the mobile terminal 102 in a case where thesetting screen 1 or 3 is displayed on the mobile terminal 102. When theuser advances the handed-over setting screen 2 to a setting screen 3 ofFIG. 14G on the MFP 101 and presses an EXECUTE button 1407, the MFP 101executes scanning and transmits a mail.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating a series of processescooperatively executed by the MFP 101, the mobile terminal 102, themanagement server 103, and the application server 104 of the presentexemplary embodiment. In this sequence diagram, a description will beprovided using an example in which, after the web application 601provided by the application server 104 is operated with the mobileterminal 102, the sequence is handed over to the MFP 101.

The application server 104 provides the web application 601, and the webapplication 601 is called by the MFP 101 and the mobile terminal 102.The management server 103 is used for managing information for handingover the operation state of the web application 601 to the MFP 101 fromthe mobile terminal 102.

First, in step S801, the mobile terminal 102 receives a user instructionand transmits a request including a user authentication request to theapplication server 104, i.e., the user presses a NEXT button 1401 inFIG. 14A. At this time, the user accesses the web application 601 usingthe URL as the start of the sequence. The URL as the start of thesequence may be registered in the menu screen of the mobile terminal 102or may be called from a dedicated application installed in the mobileterminal 102.

In step S802, the application server 104 executes user authentication byusing the user information including the user ID set by the user. In thepresent exemplary embodiment, an external authentication server executesauthentication, as an example of the authentication method. In stepS803, the application server 104 newly registers sequence information inthe sequence management table 602. At this time, the sequenceinformation includes sequence operation state data and an authenticateduser ID. In step S804, the application server 104 instructs themanagement server 103 to register handover information based on thesequence information. At this time, as the handover information, theapplication server 104 transmits the URL of the web application 601 thatis being executed by the mobile terminal 102 and the authenticated userID. In step S805, the management server 103 newly registers the handoverinformation in the handover management table 702. In step S806, theapplication server 104 executes processing for the request in step S801.Herein, “request” refers to, for example, processing for requesting theoperation screen in the sequence of the web application 601 (i.e., theoperation of the user pressing the NEXT button 1401 in FIG. 14A to inputan acquisition request for a next screen). The application server 104specifies a state in the sequence from the sequence informationregistered in step S803, and executes a process appropriate for therequest in step S801 (i.e., a process for generating a screenillustrated in FIG. 14B in response to a screen acquisition request). Instep S807, the application server 104 updates the sequence managementtable 602 with the sequence information in which the process executed instep S806 is reflected. More specifically, the application server 104additionally updates the information in the SequenceData column 1202 ofthe sequence management table 602 in response to the request. In stepS808, the application server 104 returns a response to the request instep S801 to the mobile terminal 102 (displays the screen of FIG. 14B).

In step S809, the mobile terminal 102 receives a user instruction andtransmits a next request to the application server 104 (the userexecutes the settings on the setting screen 1 in FIG. 14B and pressesthe NEXT button 1402). This request includes the user information andinformation indicating the sequence.

In step S810, the application server 104 transmits access information(described below) to the management server 103. In step S811, as themanagement server 103 receives the access information, the managementserver 103 updates the handover information in the handover managementtable 702. More specifically, the management server 103 updates a valuein a Non-MFP-Accessed column 1303 of the handover management table 702with a system time.

In step S812, the application server 104 executes a process for therequest in step S809 (recording of the settings, set with the settingscreen 1 as illustrated in FIG. 14B, such as “single-sided document” and“full-color”, and generation of the setting screen 2 as illustrated inFIG. 14C). The application server 104 specifies a state in the sequencefrom the information indicating the sequence included in the request andexecutes a process appropriate for the request. In step S813, theapplication server 104 updates the sequence management table 602 withthe sequence information in which the process executed in step S812 isreflected (i.e., setting information set with the setting screen 1 inFIG. 14B, such as “single-sided document” and “full-color”). In stepS814, the application server 104 returns a response to the request instep S809 to the mobile terminal 102 (i.e., displays the screen of FIG.14C).

The processes in steps S809 to S814 are executed every time the mobileterminal 102 receives a user operation executed on the web browser andtransmits a request by accessing the application server 104(hereinafter, a description will be provided based on the assumptionthat the setting screen 2 of the FIG. 14C is being displayed on themobile terminal 102).

Subsequently, a description will be provided of the processing based onthe assumption that an information processing apparatus operated by theuser is changed to the MFP 101 from the mobile terminal 102.

In step S815, as the user logs into the MFP 101, the MFP 101 receivesthe user information and executes user authentication. In the presentexemplary embodiment, the MFP 101 executes authentication by using thesame external authentication server as the one used by the applicationserver 104 in step S802. In step S816, the MFP 101 acquires the handoverinformation associated with the user information about the user who haslogged in, in step S815 (hereinafter, referred to as “logged-in user”)from the handover management table 702 in the management server 103. Instep S817, the MFP 101 determines whether the handover information forthe logged-in user exists. If the handover information exists (YES instep S817), the processing proceeds to step S818. If the handoverinformation does not exist (NO in step S817), the processing proceeds tostep S828.

In step S828, the MFP 101 displays a menu screen on which applicationbuttons are arranged.

In step S818, the MFP 101 starts the web browser 503 and accesses thehandover URL included in the handover information (i.e., an acquisitionrequest for the setting screen 2 in FIG. 14F).

In step S819, the application server 104 transmits the accessinformation to the management server 103. In step S820, the managementserver 103 updates the handover information in the handover managementtable 702. More specifically, the management server 103 updates a valuein an MFP-Accessed column 1304 with a system time.

In step S821, the application server 104 executes a process for therequest in step S818. The application server 104 refers to the sequencemanagement table 602 based on the sequence information included in thehandover information, specifies a state (such as the operation screenand the operation history) in the sequence, and executes the processappropriate for the request (in response to the acquisition request forthe setting screen 2 illustrated in FIG. 14F, the application server 104generates the setting screen 2 in FIG. 14F, in which the operationhistory is retained and reflected. In step S822, the application server104 updates the sequence management table 602 with the sequenceinformation in which the process executed in step S821 is reflected.

In step S823, the application server 104 determines whether the sequenceis completed. If the sequence is completed (YES in step S823), theprocessing proceeds to step S824. If the sequence has not been completed(NO in step S823), the processing proceeds to step S827.

In step S827, the application server 104 returns a response to therequest in step S818 to the MFP 101 (i.e., displays the screen of FIG.14F). The processes in steps S818 to S827 are executed every time theMFP 101 receives a user operation performed on the web browser 503 andtransmits a request to the application server 104. It is assumed thatthe request process in step S818 for the second and subsequent times isexecuted based on the user instruction provided via the MFP 101. (Forexample, the user presses the NEXT button 1406 on the setting screen 2in FIG. 14F to request acquisition of the setting screen 3 in FIG. 14G.The user then presses the EXECUTE button 1407 on the setting screen 3 inFIG. 14G to request execution of the scanning process using the MFP101.) In step S823, if the sequence is completed (i.e., if the user haspressed the EXECUTE button 1407 on the setting screen 3 in FIG. 14G instep S818), the processing proceeds to step S824. In step S824, theapplication server 104 instructs the management server 103 to delete thehandover information. In step S825, the management server 103 deletesthe corresponding handover information from the handover managementtable 702.

In step S826, the application server 104 deletes the sequenceinformation from the sequence management table 602.

Here, if the handover information related to the user who has logged into the MFP 101 exists, the web browser has been automatically started instep S818. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limitedthereto. A button for calling the handover information may be displayedon the menu screen as one of the application buttons, so that the webbrowser is started when the user presses that button.

The effect of the sequence diagram will be described. The user can handover the operation state of the web application 601 partway operatedusing the mobile terminal 102 by logging in to the MFP 101.

FIGS. 9A and B are a flowchart illustrating processing which is executedby the application server 104 according to the present exemplaryembodiment. A description will be provided of the processing fromreception of a request from the web browser of the MFP 101 or the mobileterminal 102 to a return of a response. The flowchart in FIGS. 9A and Bcorresponds to the processing which is executed by the applicationserver 104 in the series of processes illustrated in the sequencediagram in FIG. 8 . The CPU 411 reads a program stored in the HDD 414 ofthe application server 104 to the RAM 413, and executes the program toexecute respective operations in steps of the flowchart in FIGS. 9A andB.

In step S901, the web application 601 receives a hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP) request from the web browser of the MFP 101 or themobile terminal 102. Hereinafter, in the description of this flowchart,the HTTP request received in step S901 will be simply referred to as“request”. In step S902, the web application 601 determines whether therequest is a user authentication request. If the request is the userauthentication request (YES in step S902), the processing proceeds tostep S950. If the request is not the user authentication request (NO instep S902), the processing proceeds to step S903.

In step S903, the web application 601 determines whether a requestsource has been user authenticated. More specifically, the webapplication 601 makes the determination based on whether the requestincludes information capable of identifying the user. For example, therequest may include authentication information in the cookie orinformation capable of identifying the user in the HTTP header. If therequest source has been user authenticated (YES in step S903), theprocessing proceeds to step S904. If the request source has not beenauthenticated (NO in step S903), the processing proceeds to step S920.Hereinafter, in the description of this flowchart, a user determined tobe the authenticated user in step S903 will be referred to as “logged-inuser”.

In step S904, the web application 601 identifies the type of requestsource apparatus (i.e., the MFP 101 or the mobile terminal 102).

In step S905, the web application 601 determines whether the requestincludes the information for specifying the sequence of the webapplication 601. In the present exemplary embodiment, a description willbe provided using an example in which such a determination is made basedon whether a sequence ID is attached to the request URL as a querystring. However, another method may also be employed. For example, theinformation capable of specifying the sequence may be included in thecookie or the HTTP header. If the request includes the information thatspecifies the sequence (YES in step S905), the processing proceeds tostep S906. If the request does not include the information (NO in stepS905), the processing proceeds to step S930.

In step S906, the web application 601 extracts the sequence informationincluding a sequence ID conforming to the sequence ID included in thequery attached to the request URL from the sequence management table602. More specifically, the web application 601 extracts a record havinga value conforming to a value of the sequence ID included in the queryattached to the request URL, from the SequenceID column 1201. In stepS907, the web application 601 determines whether the sequenceinformation is extracted in step S906. If the sequence information isextracted (YES in step S907), the processing proceeds to step S908. Ifthe sequence information is not extracted (NO in step S907), theprocessing proceeds to step S930.

In step S908, the web application 601 transmits the access informationto the handover management unit 701 of the management server 103. Theaccess information includes the type of request source apparatusidentified in step S903 and the handover ID included in the sequenceinformation extracted in step S906 (i.e., a value in the HandoverIDcolumn 1204). In step S909, the web application 601 receives a responseto the operation in step S908 from the handover management unit 701 ofthe management server 103. In step S910, the web application 601determines whether an error is indicated in the response received instep S909. If an error is indicated in the response (YES in step S910),the processing proceeds to step S940. If an error is not indicated inthe response (NO in step S910), the processing proceeds to step S911.

In step S911, the web application 601 specifies an operation state inthe sequence from the sequence operation state data included in thesequence information extracted in step S906 (i.e., the information inthe SequenceData column 1202), and executes the process appropriate forthe request. In step S912, the web application 601 updates the sequenceoperation state data in the sequence management table 602 with the stateof the sequence in which the process executed in step S911 is reflected.

In step S913, the web application 601 determines whether the targetsequence has been completed to the end, based on the sequence operationstate data. If the sequence has been completed (YES in step S913), theprocessing proceeds to step S914. If the sequence has not been completed(NO in step S913), the processing proceeds to step S917.

In step S914, the web application 601 transmits a handover informationdeletion instruction to delete the handover information to the handovermanagement unit 701 of the management server 103. Here, the webapplication 601 includes, in the deletion instruction to be transmitted,the handover ID in the sequence information extracted in step S906 (avalue in the HandoverID column 1204) as the information for specifying adeletion target. In step S915, the web application 601 receives aresponse to the deletion instruction in step S914 from the handovermanagement unit 701 of the management server 103. In step S916, the webapplication 601 deletes the sequence information from the sequencemanagement table 602. The sequence information to be deleted is sequenceinformation having a sequence ID conforming to the sequence ID includedin the query attached to the request URL in the SequenceID column 1201.

In step S917, in response to the request in step S901, the webapplication 601 returns a result of the process in step S911 to therequest source apparatus, and ends the processing.

In step S920, in response to the request in step S901, the webapplication 601 returns information for a user authentication screen tothe request source apparatus and ends the processing.

In step S930, the web application 601 newly issues a sequence ID. Instep S931, the web application 601 newly registers sequence informationhaving the sequence ID issued in step S930 in the sequence managementtable 602. The issued sequence ID, the current sequence operation statedata, and the user ID of the logged-in user are respectively registeredin the SequenceID column 1201, the SequenceData column 1202, and theUserID column 1203. At this point, the HandoverID column 1204 is blank.

In step S932, the web application 601 transmits a handover informationregistration instruction to register the handover information to thehandover management unit 701 of the management server 103. Here, the webapplication 601 includes, in the registration instruction to betransmitted, the handover URL (the URL of the web application 601 towhich the sequence ID is attached as a query), the user ID of thelogged-in user, and the type of request source apparatus identified instep S903, as the handover information. In step S933, the webapplication 601 receives a response to the registration instruction instep S932 from the handover management unit 701 of the management server103. The response includes the handover ID for specifying the registeredhandover information. In step S934, the web application 601 registersthe handover ID received in step S933 in the HandoverID column 1204 ofthe sequence management table 602. Next, the web application 601advances the processing to step S911 and executes the subsequentprocesses.

In step S940, in response to the request in step S901, the webapplication 601 returns error information for prohibiting the subsequentoperations to the request source apparatus and ends the processing.

In step S950, the web application 601 executes user authentication. Inthe present exemplary embodiment, an authentication method using anexternal authentication server is used as an example of theauthentication method, as described with reference to FIG. 8 . In stepS951, the web application 601 returns a result of the userauthentication to the request source apparatus in response to therequest in step S901, and ends the processing.

The effect of the flowchart in FIGS. 9A and B will be described. Theapplication server 104 is capable of registering the user informationand the sequence operation state of the web application 601 inassociation with each other, and is capable of acquiring and updatingthe registered information every time the user accesses the webapplication 601 via the web browser of the MFP 101 or the mobileterminal 102. The application server 104 is capable of notifying theregistered information to the management server 103.

FIGS. 10A to 10D are flowcharts each illustrating processing of themanagement server 103 according to the present disclosure. The CPU 411reads a program stored in the HDD 414 of the management server 103 tothe RAM 413, and executes the program to execute operations in therespective steps of the flowcharts in FIGS. 10A to 10D.

FIG. 10A is a flowchart illustrating the processing which is executedwhen the management server 103 receives the handover informationregistration instruction from the application server 104. The flowchartin FIG. 10A corresponds to the processing that is executed by themanagement server 103 in steps S804 to S805 of the sequence diagram inFIG. 8 .

In step S1001, the handover management unit 701 receives the handoverinformation registration instruction from the application server 104.The registration instruction includes the handover URL, the user ID, andthe type of request source apparatus identified in step S903.

In step S1002, the handover management unit 701 newly issues a handoverID. In step S1003, the handover management unit 701 newly registers thehandover information having the handover ID issued in step S1002 in thehandover management table 702. The handover ID, the handover URL, andthe user ID are respectively registered in the HandoverID column 1301,the URL column 1302, and the UserID column 1305. A system time isregistered in the MFP-Accessed column 1304 if the request sourceapparatus is the MFP 101, and the system time is registered in theNon-MFP-Accessed column 1303 if the request source apparatus is not theMFP 101.

In step S1004, the handover management unit 701 transmits to theapplication server 104 a response indicating the completion ofregistration in response to the registration instruction in step S1001,and ends the processing. Here, the response includes the handover IDissued in step S1002.

FIG. 10B is a flowchart illustrating the processing which is executedwhen the management server 103 receives the access information from theapplication server 104. The flowchart in FIG. 10B corresponds to theprocessing that is executed by the management server 103 in steps S810to S811 and steps S819 to S820 of the sequence diagram in FIG. 8 .

In step S1010, the handover management unit 701 receives the accessinformation from the application server 104. The access informationincludes the handover ID and the type of request source apparatusidentified in step S903. In step S1011, the handover management unit 701extracts the handover information having the handover ID conforming tothe received handover ID in the HandoverID column 1301 from the handovermanagement table 702.

In step S1012, the handover management unit 701 determines whether thehandover information is extracted in step S1011. If the handoverinformation is extracted (YES in step S1012), the processing proceeds tostep S1013. If the handover information cannot be extracted (NO in stepS1012), the processing proceeds to step S1030. In step S1030, thehandover management unit 701 transmits an error indicating non-existenceof the handover information to the application server 104 and ends theprocessing.

In step S1013, the handover management unit 701 identifies whether thetype of apparatus as a transmission source of the access informationreceived from the application server 104 in step S1010 is the MFP. Ifthe type of apparatus is the MFP (YES in step S1013), the processingproceeds to step S1014. If the type of apparatus is not the MFP (NO instep S1013), the processing proceeds to step S1015.

In step S1014, the handover management unit 701 registers the systemtime in the field of the MFP-Accessed column 1304 corresponding to thehandover information extracted from the handover management table 702 instep S1011. The processing then proceeds to step S1017.

In step S1015, the handover management unit 701 determines whether thefield of the MFP-Accessed column 1304 corresponding to the handoverinformation extracted in step S1011 is blank (no value is set). If thecorresponding field of the MFP-Accessed column 1304 is blank (YES instep S1015), the processing proceeds to step S1016. If the correspondingfield of the MFP-Accessed column 1304 is not blank (NO in step S1015),the processing proceeds to step S1020. In step S1020, the handovermanagement unit 701 returns an error indicating prohibition of thesubsequent operations to the application server 104 and ends theprocessing.

In step S1016, the handover management unit 701 sets a system time tothe field of the Non-MFP-Accessed column 1303 corresponding to thehandover information extracted in step S1011 and updates the handovermanagement table 702.

In step S1017, the handover management unit 701 transmits a responseindicating that the access information is normally received in stepS1010 to the application server 104, and ends the processing.

FIG. 10C is a flowchart illustrating the processing which is executedwhen the management server 103 receives the handover informationdeletion instruction from the application server 104. The processing inflowchart in FIG. 10C corresponds to the processing that the managementserver 103 executes in steps S824 to S825 of the sequence diagram inFIG. 8 .

In step S1040, the handover management unit 701 receives the handoverinformation deletion instruction from the application server 104. Thedeletion instruction includes the handover ID. In step S1041, thehandover management unit 701 determines whether the handover managementtable 702 includes handover information that the handover managementunit 701 is instructed to delete. More specifically, the handovermanagement unit 701 determines whether there is a record, in theHandoverID column 1301, having a value conforming to the value of thehandover ID received in step S1040. If the handover information exists(YES in step S1041), the processing proceeds to step S1042. If thehandover information does not exist (NO in step S1041), the processingproceeds to step S1050. In step S1050, the handover management unit 701transmits a response indicating that handover information to be deleteddoes not exist to the application server 104, and ends the processing.

In step S1042, the handover management unit 701 deletes a record havinga value conforming to the value of the handover ID received in stepS1040 in the HandoverID column 1301 from the handover management table702.

In step S1043, the handover management unit 701 notifies the applicationserver 104 that the handover information has been deleted, as a responseto the deletion instruction in step S1040, and ends the processing.

FIG. 10D is a flowchart illustrating the processing which is executedwhen the management server 103 receives a handover informationacquisition request from the MFP 101. The flowchart in FIG. 10Dcorresponds to the processing that is executed by the management server103 in step S816 of the sequence diagram in FIG. 8 .

In step S1060, the handover management unit 701 receives the handoverinformation acquisition request from the MFP 101. The user ID isincluded in the acquisition request.

In step S1061, the handover management unit 701 refers to the handovermanagement table 702, and extracts the handover informationcorresponding to the user ID included in the acquisition request.

In step S1062, the handover management unit 701 determines whether thehandover information has been extracted in step S1061. If the handoverinformation has been extracted (YES in step S1062), the processingproceeds to step S1063. If the handover information cannot be extracted(NO in step S1062), the processing proceeds to step S1064.

In step S1063, the handover management unit 701 transmits the extractedhandover information to the MFP 101, as a response to the acquisitionrequest in step S1060, and ends the processing.

In step S1064, the handover management unit 701 transmits a notificationthat no handover information exists to the MFP 101, as a response to anoperation in step S1060, and ends the processing.

The effects of the flowcharts in FIGS. 10A to 10D will be described. Thesequence information registered in the management server 103 can beupdated by the instruction from the web application. The managementserver 103 can provide the sequence information according to theacquisition request from the MFP 101.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating processing from a process of loggingin to a process of displaying a menu screen, which is executed by theMFP 101, according to the present disclosure. The flowchart in FIG. 11corresponds to the processing that is executed by the MFP 101 in stepsS815 to S828 of the sequence diagram in FIG. 8 . The CPU 211 reads aprogram stored in the ROM 212 or the HDD 214 of the MFP 101 to the RAM213, and executes the program to execute the operations in therespective steps in the flowchart in FIG. 11 .

In step S1101, the log-in management unit 501 that has received log-ininformation from the user accompanied by the log-in operation executesuser authentication by using an external authentication server. Theexternal authentication server used herein is the same as theauthentication server which the web application 601 uses for executingauthentication.

In step S1102, if the user authentication has succeeded (YES in stepS1102), the processing proceeds to step S1103. If the userauthentication has failed (NO in step S1102), the processing proceeds tostep S1120. In step S1120, the log-in management unit 501 displays anerror and ends the processing.

In step S1103, the menu display unit 502 transmits a handoverinformation acquisition request to the handover management unit 701 ofthe management server 103. Here, in order to acquire only the handoverinformation corresponding to the logged-in user, the menu display unit502 includes, in the acquisition request to be transmitted, the user IDauthenticated in step S1101.

In step S1104, the menu display unit 502 receives a response to theacquisition request from the handover management unit 701 of themanagement server 103.

In step S1105, the menu display unit 502 determines whether the handoverinformation is included in the response received in step S1104. If thehandover information exists (YES in step S1105) the processing proceedsto step S1106. If the handover information does not exist (NO in stepS1105), the processing proceeds to step S1110.

In step S1106, in order to access the handover URL included in thehandover information, the menu display unit 502 calls the web browser503. In step S1107, the web browser 503 accesses the handover URL. Here,the web browser 503 includes, in the request to be transmitted, theauthentication information about the user authenticated in step S1101.Thereafter, the web browser 503 receives a user operation, communicateswith the web application 601, and executes the web application 601 asnecessary.

In step S1110, the menu display unit 502 displays a menu screen on whichapplication buttons are arranged, and ends the processing.

The effect of the flowchart in FIG. 11 will be described. By simplylogging in the MFP 101, the user can acquire handover information inassociation with the user registered in the management server 103, andhand over the operation state of the web application 601 indicated inthe handover information to the MFP 101.

As described above, the user can hand over the operation state of theweb application 601 operated with the mobile terminal 102 by simplylogging in to the MFP 101 through the method described in the presentexemplary embodiment. Thus, user convenience can be enhanced.

A second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be describedbelow. In the first exemplary embodiment, handover processing is alwaysexecuted if handover information for a logged-in user exists when theuser has logged in to the MFP 101. However, even if the handoverinformation exists, the handover processing should not be executed insome cases. For example, if the user has logged in to another MFP, andthe handover information has been handed over before the user logs in tothe MFP 101, the handover information should not be handed over when theuser logs in to the MFP 101 in a case where operations have not beencompleted to the end of the sequence, in some cases. There is apossibility that the handover processing should not be executed in acase where the user logs in to the MFP 101 after a long time has passedsince an operation is performed on the web application of theinformation processing apparatus and the handover information isregistered.

In the present exemplary embodiment, if the handover information existswhen the user has logged in to the MFP 101, the MFP 101 determineswhether a predetermined condition is satisfied, and does not executehandover processing depending on a result of the determination. Thepresent exemplary embodiment is a variation of the first exemplaryembodiment, and thus, only differences will be described.

The processing of the MFP 101 according to the present exemplaryembodiment will be described. A flowchart in FIG. 15 is a variation ofthe flowchart in FIG. 11 . This flowchart is different from theflowchart in FIG. 11 in that the steps S1501 to S1503 are newly addedbetween the steps S1105 and S1106. In addition, each of the steps S1501and S1502 is an independent conditional branching, and thus, it is notalways necessary to add both of the steps S1501 and S1502 to theprocessing, and either one of the steps S1501 and S1502 may be added.

In step S1501, the menu display unit 502 determines whether the handoverinformation received in step S1104 has been handed over. Morespecifically, the menu display unit 502 determines that the handoverinformation has been handed over if a time is recorded in theMFP-Accessed column 1304 of the handover management table 702. If thehandover information has been handed over (YES in step S1501) theprocessing proceeds to step S1503. If the handover information has notbeen handed over (NO in step S1501), the processing proceeds to stepS1502.

In step S1502, the menu display unit 502 determines whether a certainperiod of time (e.g., 6 hours) has passed since the Web application 601is operated with the mobile terminal 102 and the handover information isupdated. More specifically, the menu display unit 502 compares the timerecorded in the field of the Non-MFP-Accessed column 1303 correspondingto the handover information received in step S1140 and the currentsystem time, and determines whether a certain period of time has passed.If a certain period of time has passed (YES in step S1502), theprocessing proceeds to step S1503. If a certain period of time has notpassed (NO in step S1502), the processing proceeds to step S1106.

In step S1503, the menu display unit 502 displays a menu screenincluding a button for calling the handover information received in stepS1104 as one of the application buttons. More specifically, a shortcutof the handover URL is displayed as an application button for callingthe handover information. This configuration prevents the handoverinformation from being always handed over with presence of the handoverinformation, that is, the handover information is not handed over withthe presence thereof if a predetermined condition is satisfied. Thehandover information can be handed over only if the user desires so, bythe shortcut of the handover URL as the application button beingdisplayed.

Through the method described in the present exemplary embodiment, evenif the handover information for the logged-in user exists, handoverprocessing is not executed if a predetermined condition is satisfied,and the handover information is handed over only if desired by the user.

Other Embodiments

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference toembodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited tothe disclosed embodiments. It will of course be understood that thisinvention has been described above by way of example only, and thatmodifications of detail can be made within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a terminal; a server system;and an information processing apparatus, wherein the terminal includesat least one processor that causes the terminal to act as: a firsttransmitting unit configured to transmit, to the server system, firstidentification (ID) information corresponding to a first ID and firstinput information input via the screen provided by the server system,wherein the server system includes at least one processor that causesthe server system to act as: a providing unit configured to provide ascreen to the terminal and the information processing apparatus; and aregistering unit configured to register the first ID corresponding tothe received first ID information and first input information, inassociation with each other, wherein the information processingapparatus includes at least one processor that causes the informationprocessing apparatus to act as: a second transmitting unit configured totransmit, to the server system, second ID information corresponding tothe first ID corresponding to the first ID information transmitted bythe terminal; and a third transmitting unit configured to transmit, tothe server system, second input information input via the screenprovided by the providing unit to the information processing apparatus,wherein after the server system provides the screen to the terminal andreceives the first ID information from the terminal and receives thesecond ID information from the information processing apparatus, thescreen is provided from the providing unit to the information processingapparatus based on information registered in association with the firstID corresponding to the first ID information received from the terminaland corresponding to the second ID information received from theinformation processing apparatus, and wherein the registering unitfurther registers the second input information in association with thefirst ID corresponding to the second ID information.
 2. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the providing unit provides a plurality ofscreens that are used for executing settings that cause the informationprocessing apparatus to perform processing and that involve screentransition.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the providingunit provides a first screen to the terminal and provides a secondscreen to the information processing apparatus, and wherein theregistering unit further registers the second input information inputvia the second screen, in addition to the first input information inputvia the first screen, in association with the first ID.
 4. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the providing unit provides, to theinformation processing apparatus that transmits the second IDinformation, a screen in which the first input information registered inassociation with the first ID is reflected.
 5. The system according toclaim 1, wherein the first input information and the second inputinformation are a setting value set via the screen provided by theproviding unit.
 6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at leastone processor of the terminal further includes: a first display unitconfigured to display the screen provided by the server system; and afirst receiving unit configured to receive input information input by auser via the screen displayed by the first display unit, wherein thefirst transmitting unit transmits the first input information receivedby the first receiving unit to the server system, wherein the at leastone processor of the information processing apparatus further includes:a second display unit configured to display the screen provided by theserver system; and a second receiving unit configured to transmit inputinformation input by a user via the screen displayed by the seconddisplay unit, wherein the third transmitting unit transmits the secondinput information received by the second receiving unit to the serversystem.
 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least oneprocessor of the information processing apparatus further includes: anidentifying unit configured to identify a user of the informationprocessing apparatus, wherein the first ID is a user ID identified bythe identifying unit.
 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein theregistering unit updates registered information each time a screenprovided by providing unit transitions to another screen provided by theproviding unit in response to a user operation on the terminal or theinformation processing apparatus.
 9. The system according to claim 1,wherein the screen provided by the providing unit is a web applicationscreen.
 10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least oneprocessor of the server system further includes: a storing unitconfigured to store a uniform resource locator (URL) of a webapplication executed on the terminal and the first ID in associationwith each other.
 11. The system according to claim 1, wherein, uponreceipt of a predetermined instruction from the information processingapparatus, the server system causes the information processing apparatusto perform processing based on the first input information and thesecond input information.
 12. A system comprising: a terminal; a serversystem; and an information processing apparatus, wherein the terminalincludes at least one processor that causes the terminal to act as: afirst transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the server system,first identification (ID) information corresponding to a first ID andfirst input information input via the screen provided by the serversystem, wherein the server system includes at least one processor thatcauses the server system to act as: a providing unit configured toprovide a screen to the terminal and the information processingapparatus; and a registering unit configured to register the first IDcorresponding to the received first ID information and first inputinformation, in association with each other, wherein the informationprocessing apparatus includes at least one processor that causes theinformation processing apparatus to act as: a second transmitting unitconfigured to transmit, to the server system, second ID informationcorresponding to the first ID corresponding to the first ID informationtransmitted by the terminal; and a display unit configured to displaythe screen that holds the first input information provided by theproviding unit, and wherein after the server system provides the screento the terminal and receives the first ID information from the terminaland receives the second ID information from the information processingapparatus, the screen is provided from the providing unit to theinformation processing apparatus based on information registered inassociation with the first ID corresponding to the first ID informationreceived from the terminal and corresponding to the second IDinformation received from the information processing apparatus.
 13. Thesystem according to claim 12, wherein the providing unit provides aplurality of screens that are used for executing settings that cause theinformation processing apparatus to perform processing and that involvescreen transition.
 14. The system according to claim 12, wherein theproviding unit provides a first screen to the terminal and a secondscreen to the information processing apparatus, and wherein registeringunit registers second input information input via the second screen, inaddition to the first input information input via the first screen, inassociation with the first ID.
 15. The system according to claim 12,wherein the providing unit provides, to the information processingapparatus that transmits the second ID information, a screen that hastransitioned in response to an operation on the terminal.
 16. The systemaccording to claim 15, wherein the providing unit provides, to theinformation processing apparatus that transmits the second IDinformation, the screen that has transitioned in response to theoperation on the terminal in a state where the screen holds inputinformation input on a previous screen before the transition.